posted by Evi on Feb 20
Somewhere along the line during my New York City days, I got a job working for an insurance agent who had his office within W____& W______, the parent insurance agency. What was good about the job was that I worked on my own without a supervisor whereas all the other girls in the office were under the jurisdiction of the office manager, M., who was the typical (at that time) old maid. She had to have been in her 40’s and ruled with an iron fist. I don’t think I ever saw that woman smile.
One of the things I hated about that agency was the formality. The gals were all expected to address the men agents as Mr. So and So while we were called by our first names. This did not sit too well with me, so I was on a first name basis with most of the guys including my married male boss who was forever making passes at me. (Nowadays I could have slapped him with a sexual harassment suit.)
When I had previously worked for the GAB, a fun office, we were all on a first name basis. I was one of the few employees who called the manager Mr. H. because I used to baby sit for him and his wife and in that day and age it was customary to refer to your parents’ friends as Mr. and Mrs. So and So. (Not like today, where no respect is shown for one‘s elders.)
Anyway, my bosses’ agency floundered and he and I ended up working for W____& W______ which, much to my horror, made M. my boss. She was forever taking me aside and chastening me when I slipped up and called one of the guys by his first name. Of course I didn’t let this stop me; I’m stubborn that way and the guys certainly didn‘t mind..
One day M. called me over to her desk and informed me that I would have a supervisor. That, too, didn’t sit too well with me. My supervisor, D., was a new employee, a very attractive dark-haired woman who was probably in her early 30’s. We got along very well and I looked up to her. I must say one of the things I learned from her and remember to this day is that before you ask questions, read the information first to see if you can find the answer. If not, then ask. I guess she got tired of my asking her questions every five minutes. I admit I was too lazy to read through the insurance policies and such. But D. was right; I usually found my answers by reading.
She left the agency before I did to go into business with a friend and one day I drove to Jersey to visit her and to see her new business. We later went back to her apartment where I met her daughters and we had dinner. Afterwards she led me back to the highway and we stopped at a restaurant near there for a goodbye drink. And that was the last time I’d seen her until that day in Fort Myers more than 30 years later.
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